Inevitable (The Curse of Avalon Book 2)

by Sariah Skye

  “Shit!” I cried out, my eyes flying open in a panic, watching Xander get hit with a blast of invisible magic that caught him—and me—completely off guard. His eyes widened in shock, and he doubled over as the blast hit him squarely in the center of his chest.

  He tumbled backward onto the wooden floor, sliding across about six feet before roughly slamming into a chair halfway across the room. Mathias flew across the room before I could even blink and was at his side.

  I cried out in terror, covering my horrified face with my hands. Tears stung and pricked at my eyes as I watched Xander breathless, cowering over his legs, trying to catch his breath. “Oh my god. Oh fuck! Fuck! I can’t—” Feeling mortified, guilty, and a juxtaposition of emotions I couldn’t place, I couldn’t fight the tears as they streamed down my face. I wiped my tears, wringing my hands out in front of me, whimpering and cursing them at the same time. “Xander?” I questioned, dropping them, wiping my palms against the sides of my top. I started towards him for a split second as Mathias flung out a hand to stop me.

  I bit my quivering lip, and I took several large steps back, barreling into my father who wrapped his arms around me tightly.

  “Just give him a minute, Avie…” My father crooned in my ear.

  Mathias snaked an arm around Xander’s upper body, as Xander let out a gasping cough.

  “No…” I sobbed.

  Xander briefly caught my eye, the sparkle in his gaze dulled and confused. And I lost it.

  Fighting my father’s grip, punching when necessary, I struggled to free myself. “Let me go!” I cried over and over again, until I finally freed myself by inadvertently kicking his shin—sorry, Dad—and slipping out of his grip.

  I darted off for the stairs as a crash of thunder rattled the house, resulting in a loud howl from down the hallway from Nessie.

  Bash was behind me in a flash, grabbing my arm. “No, Ava! This lightning is terrible—your room is the highest point in the house. If lightning is going to strike…” he trailed off, clearly saying enough.

  I relented when Xander gasped from across the room. “He’s right…” in a strangled tone.

  Bash attempted to pull me in for a hug, but I fought him too, aiming to smack him on the chest—lightly—but instead the magic buzzed, and another blast of magic shot out from my hand, hitting him square in the shoulder. A smaller dose this time, Bash only jumped back and winced, rubbing at the magically injured spot.

  “Fuck me!” I cried out, shaking my head in a panic. I crossed my hands and buried them under my armpits to prevent any more rogue magic from flying out.

  “Avie! I’m okay!” Bash insisted, but I shook my head.

  I flew out of the room down the hallway, to the farthest point I could get. Trystan emerged from the back bedroom, but I yelled “Stay away!” and flung myself at the basement door and disappeared behind it.

  On the top stair, I fumbled with the lock to the door—it was only a button on the knob they could easily undo—but I hoped they’d just leave me alone.

  I thumped down the stairs, tears streaming down my face. The room was dark, but dimly lit with several green LED nightlights along the wall in various spots.

  I heard a canine grunt, as Sierra ambled over to me in the center of the training room. I leaned against the nearest column, sliding down the smooth surface until my butt thumped on the floor.

  Sierra sat on her hindquarters, whining a soft sound from the back of her throat. She lifted a paw and nudged my arm with it. One could take the gesture as one of sympathy, but I knew she was probably just wanting me to pet her.

  I chuckled slightly, despite my sobs. I reached out and buried my hand in the soft fur behind her neck, scratching gently. “Oh Sisi…what the fuck is wrong with me? This shit sucks!”

  One of the pups from nearby—Frankie I think, it was hard to see in the dim, green light—moseyed over from a large pillow halfway across the room and plopped herself in my lap.

  Caught between a chuckle and a sniffle of confused emotion, I stroked behind her ear with my free hand gingerly. “I probably shouldn’t touch you guys either, no telling what I could do to you.”

  Rocky meandered out of the dark, and let out a low bark, so quiet you probably couldn’t hear it if the room were bustling. Another crack of muffled thunder shook the egress windows nearby, following almost immediately by a bright flash of white. I cringed, and Frankie yelped loudly.

  Two more furry bodies—Percy, followed by Lizzie—ran over to me from across the room, and spread out near me.

  Sierra nudged my face with her cold nose, and laid down, resting her head in my lap with a large sigh, as if to say, “I’m sorry…”

  Of course, there was no telling what she was really thinking without Trystan here, but I’d take it as comfort. “Oh girl…” I laid down the rest of the way, resting my head on her furry tummy. The two youngest pups curled up to her and started licking the salty tears off my face, which should have been funny and cute, but it just made me break faster.

  If I can’t get control of this fucking magic, I’m going to end up with dogs—and only dogs.

  These guys had lived for hundreds of years. I might live for hundreds of years. If I didn’t figure shit out, I was destined to spending most of those years alone. Because it was clear; I was going to kill them accidentally.

  The floodgates opened up, and I sobbed openly into Sierra’s fur, feeling frustrated and finally admitting to myself for the first time:

  Loneliness.

  How in the hell in a house full of dogs, a wolf, and four hot-as-sin men did I manage to feel so damn alone?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Xander

  “Do not try to get up!” Mathias’ commanding voice ordered, promptly shoving down on my shoulders to prevent me from getting to my feet.

  “Fuck you, man.” I managed to gasp out, though I felt like a steel anvil was perched on my chest. I shoved him away weakly—and groaned. Of course, he didn’t budge a damn inch. The man was the damned equivalent of the Great Wall of China. No one moved Mathias when Mathias didn’t want to move. I relented to my spot on the floor, breathing raggedly through the stitch in my chest. I pulled my knees to my chest and smacked my forehead against them. “I… am… an…ass!”

  “Ass?” Mathias echoed, confused from next to me. “No, man, you couldn’t help it. No one could have.”

  “She already feels bad enough, now I had to go and make her worse!” I managed to squeak out through tense breaths.

  “Let’s get him to the sofa.” Another voice from nearby—Lachlan—said, and before long he and Mathias were lifting me uncomfortably by the arms and dragging me hastily to the sofa. I cringed in pain from the spot Ava inadvertently hit me with a blast of her uncontrolled magic as they stretched out my torso, by dragging my fucking ass disgracefully along the floor. I knew Mathias could probably lift me over his shoulder like a damn sack of flour if he wanted to, but I appreciated the gesture that he didn’t. They plopped me awkwardly on the cushions, lifting my feet to rest on the opposite end.

  “How do ye feel, laddie?” Trystan inquired. I was so out of it, I didn’t even notice he entered the room.

  I clutched my chest, still cringing. “I’ll be fine,” I wheezed, breathlessly. “I need to talk to her—”

  “No.” Mathias was forceful, gripping my shoulder tightly. “No,” he repeated, calmer this time. “You need to rest, and she needs to process.”

  “Process?” I tried to sit up straighter, but the vice on my chest tightened, promptly bringing me right back down. Spots floated in front of my vision, and I groaned. “Well, someone needs to talk to her. If she processes much more, she’s going to process right the fuck out of here, you idiots!” I managed to squeeze the words out, but now I was breathless. “Shit…” I laid my head against the couch, thankful for its stability against my woozy mind.

  “Give it a few minutes.” Lachlan Steele, Ava’s father, stood nearby. I opened one eye to glance at him, and
though he was just a hair shorter than me, but stockier; he usually didn’t intimidate me anymore than a normal girl’s father would. Not that I had much experience with that…

  Right now, though, he was ominous as the bitchy storm clouds outside, dark and glowering. He ran his hands through his blond hair, cursing under his breath. “She doesn’t have control at all yet. I thought she was making real progress.”

  “She was!” Bash protested, flinging himself in one of the chairs. “Xander and I, today we—” he clamped his mouth shut, blushing furiously.

  Lachlan raised a brow, crossing his arms over his chest sternly. “You what?”

  I motioned to Bash, clearly in no condition to talk.

  “We taught her Tai Chi Chih,” he said, with a nonchalant shrug. “She was getting it, and just as she was about to lose control she reigned it in. She did great!”

  Lachlan nodded slowly. “Uh-huh. And just why did she lose control in the first place?”

  I clamped my mouth shut, avoiding his penetrating stare. By the gods it was like looking at Ava staring us down. I shuddered at the image, seared into my mind. But, it was better at the moment then thinking about her in my bed, sprawled out on my gray sheets, her hair mussed on my pillow, her creamy skin such a contrast against mine as I climbed on top of her, feeling her full breasts against my chest, and—

  “She thinks she’s uncoordinated,” Bash explained. “We helped her with the movement.”

  I briefly rubbed at my temple with a finger, effectively shaking the sexy, sultry image of the hesitant minx out of my mind and remembering that we were confessing the very stupid thing we did earlier. I snorted scathingly at my own—our—idiocy. “Yeah, by getting on either side of her and rubbing up against her.” I winced, awaiting Ava’s—err, Lachlan’s—glare to turn into a nasty punch. “That was a stupid.” Yeah, that image was doing nothing for squashing the image of the beautiful blonde out of my mind. Well, it did leave my mind…and straight to my crotch. I was thankful for the magic blast, otherwise my dick would be attempting to stand at attention. And that’d be even more embarrassing to explain in front of Avie’s father.

  It wasn’t just the effect she had on my cock; though I’d be lying if I wasn’t actively trying to quell the rising need that began to strain against my shorts. It was so much more than that.

  Ava was a force. She was fierce and kind all at once; everything about her just radiated light. It was a refreshing contrast to the dark, demonic curse that dwelled inside me. Inside all of us.

  The magic of the curse compelled my libido to act, out of preservation. Because I wanted to survive, and I wanted her to survive too.

  But Ava made it act out of pure desire. The desire to do anything to put that smile on her beautiful face. Because her happiness made me—all of us, really—the happiest fucking bastards on the planet.

  “Yeah it was stupid!” Lachlan groaned loudly, folding himself into the other chair opposite Bash. I sighed quietly to myself, the action sent a piercing sensation straight into my stomach. Either I was losing it completely over this woman, or her magic did more of a number on me than I thought.

  “Dear gods, you men…fucking incubi always thinking with your dicks…” Lachlan said out of exasperation, glaring at me. Couldn’t blame the guy, really. I’d felt up his daughter earlier in the day. I stifled a pained smile; the action now was just knocking the wind out of me. I continued to breathe deeply, trying to block the pain as the guys argued.

  “Know from experience, aye?” Trystan challenged, narrowing his eyes.

  Lachlan glared back, severely. “Yes, I suppose I do. But, if you had any idea what she’s dealing with…”

  “Explain it, then.” Bash interjected. “We’ve been trying to figure it out, but there isn’t much to go on.”

  “You already know! The magic of Avalon is seductive in nature. In good hands, it’s flirty, arousing. In evil hands, like Morgaine’s, the magic is powerful, dominating—not in a good way. Now she’s dealing with it amplifying her mood ten-fold; she was already having a rough time with it when you gentlemen entered her life.” He sighed, long and drawn out, covering his face with his palms. “I never should have put that post up.”

  “What post?” Bash asked.

  Lachlan lifted his head, looking sheepish. “You got a tip that there was a supe in trouble at Avie’s address, huh?”

  I watched as Bash exchanged a shrug with Mathias. “Well, yes. Just a message in my inbox.”

  “That was you?” Mathias asked, incredulous.

  Lachlan nodded. “Yes. I knew she’d need your help, and she did. Does. Why you aren’t giving in to her is beyond me.”

  “What help?” Bash asked, throwing up his hands in exasperation.

  “Och, he means knocking the boots with her,” Trystan said, elbowing Bash pointedly.

  “She won’t let us! We aren’t going to force her,” Bash protested.

  Lachlan shook his head. “No, no one is saying to. But, magic or not, she needs that release. It reacts to the user. There is nothing harmful about Avalon—the isle, or her—but it’s protecting her somehow. From something.” He said, raising his brow. “What, I’d like to know.”

  “She is afraid to hurt us,” I said quietly, sighing. The pain was beginning to subside, if only just. At least I could talk without being strangled. “Clearly, it’s a valid worry.”

  Lachlan sighed. “I don’t understand it. Are you not…approaching her?”

  “We are,” Mathias said confidently. “She just won’t let us do much.”

  “She pushes us away. Mathias here has gotten her to, um, relax the most,” Bash said, a hint of jealousy on his tone.

  Lachlan looked at him expectantly. “Well?”

  “It was just, um, one sided, you know?” A bright red blush appeared on Mathias’ cheeks. For as old as he was, and as brutish as the Romans were, he never gave in to the debauchery. Not anymore, anyway.

  I tried to look back at him in surprise. Envy was heavy on my mind, at the thought of them in a provocative position—not because I was jealous of Mathias, but just that it wasn’t me. Lucky fucking bastard.

  “And did anything happen?”

  Mathias sighed. I craned my head backward, watching from the corner of my eye as Mathias unbuttoned half of his shirt, and pulled the neck aside, exposing a deep blue and purple bruise.

  “Fuck…” was all I could say, under my breath. Injuring me, Bash, or Trystan was one thing. But Mathias? Mathias couldn’t even hardly feel pain, let alone be bruised.

  Lachlan let out a low whistle. “God…”

  “And now she’s probably down in the basement, crying her eyes out,” Bash said sadly. His words went through my heart.

  “I need to talk to her; show her I’m fine,” I said, trying once again to rise, but the weight on my chest compelled me not to move. Again. “Or, perhaps not.”

  “I’ll make something.” Bash disappeared into the kitchen. Something usually meant one of his magical concoctions he would brew up, and right now, I welcomed it.

  “Make it a double,” I groaned. “Man, this sucks… I guess that’s what I get for kissing her like that.”

  “What’s the big deal?” Mathias asked. “Haven’t we all?”

  I felt my cheeks flush. “Yes, but we were in the middle of the parking lot, I heard that crack in the air, and that portal-thing appeared. I panicked, and couldn’t summon much magic so—”

  “—Och, ye arsehole!” Trystan scolded, more annoyed than anything else.

  “Hey, I would have kissed her anyway! I’d kiss her a hundred times a day if she’d let me!” I protested, still feeling like an ass because of the timing. “I just needed a boost to keep her safe!”

  Mathias clasped my shoulder gently. “Any of us would have done the same,” he said, and I glanced back at him appreciatively.

  “Still.” Lachlan said, appearing steel-faced. “That wasn’t great timing. At least not yet.”

  “She probably c
ould have shielded the both of you,” Bash said loudly, interjecting from the kitchen. “She’s much better.”

  “Yes, but not foolproof! I just…I couldn’t imagine her getting hurt,” I said in a small voice, with a sigh. “Fuck, I’m a rotten pìyǎn.”

  “No, but none of you are thinking correctly with her.” Lachlan sighed. “You need to figure out what the issue is. I will try also, but there is something holding her back. Once she gives in, I think the connection will heal not only the magic, but her soul.”

  I breathed out slowly, through the stitch in my side. “I hope you’re right.”

  “You must work harder to figure out what is going on,” Lachlan urged, staring at us all with intent.

  “You know how hard that is? For years we’ve been denying the incubus side of us,” Mathias protested, “and forcing ourselves to remain emotionally distant—not just for us, but for their sake. The women. I’m afraid we aren’t so great in matters of the heart.”

  “Well, get great,” Lachlan said. “Your lives all must depend on it.”

  I groaned quietly, muttering under my breath in both annoyance and frustration.

  Trystan tapped my shoulder. “What did you say? You lapsed into Chinese.”

  I chuckled shortly. “I said, ‘he wants to leave the emotions to a bunch of fucking incubi,’” I said, glowering at him. “Perhaps if you’d not been afraid of Morgaine, and fought for her, she wouldn’t be in this position in the first place. She’d have learned to control her magic, wouldn’t have been brought up by an evil witch sociopath—”

  Mathias clamped a hand on my shoulder. “Enough, Xan. We are all frustrated.”

  Lachlan arched a brow, and sighed. “He’s not wrong, though. I have messed up too, and I’m sorry you’re left to clean up my messes.”

  Scowling, I looked away, not sure what else to say. The magic blast and the tension of the storm were wreaking havoc inside of me, and it was better to say nothing than say something I’d later regret. But would I regret it? A part of me desperately wanted to sock Lachlan in the face for abandoning her in the first place, despite Ava’s willingness to forgive him.